LOUCH
by Jim Earle
OtT lb
‘I think it’s time you came out. Football is just a game.
Opinion
Don’t shuffle flags
to make ships safer
it seems that almost every ship collision, tanker breakup
or freighter grounding you read about involves a Liberian
ship. The reason is simple. The tiny African nation of
Liberia has, on paper, the world’s largest merchant marine
fleet. Nearly 30 percent of the world’s tanker fleet sails
under the Liberian flag.
It is called a ‘flag of convenience. ”
American and foreign ship-owners register their vessels
in one of the flag-of-convenience countries such as Liberia
or Panama because of tax advantages and because it is
cheaper.
A ship sailing under American registry must be built in
America by union-scale shipbuilders and must have an
American crew paid salaries that average more than $800 a
month. American-owned ships that are registered abroad
are not subject to those restrictions, and salaries for foreign
crews run as low as $120 a month.
But critics claim you get what you pay for. Cheaply built
ships run by cheap crews, they say, are floating
timebombs.
Eliminating flag-of-convenience registry may not be the
answer. As long as the financial considerations and safety
shortcuts are available, there is the very real prospect of
shipping companies rather than just ships flocking to
foreign countries.
What is really needed is not regulation of flags but regu
lation of ships. International safety and licensing standards
for ships sailing under all flags would have much more
effect on safety at sea than a reshuffling of flags.
The Charlotte, N.C., News
the small society
by Briclcman
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Washington Star Syndicate. Inc.
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The Battalion
U S P S 045 360
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MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Liz Newlin
Managing Editor Andy Williams
Asst. Managing Editor Dillard Stone
News Editors Karen Cornelison
and Michelle Burrowes
Sports Editor Sean Petty
City Editor Roy Bragg
Campus Editor Keith Taylor
Focus Editors . . . Beth Calhoun and
Doug Graham
Staff Writers Meril Edwards, Nancy
Andersen, Louie Arthur, Richard Oliver,
Mark Patterson, Carolyn Blosser, Kurt
Allen, Debbie Nelson
Photo Editor Lee Roy Leschper Jr.
Photographers . Lynn Blanco, Sam
Stroder, Ken Herrera
Cartoonist Doug Graham
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are
those of the editor or of the writer of the
article and are not necessarily those of the
University administration or the Board of
Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self-
supporting enterprise operated by students
as a university and community newspaper.
Editorial policy is determined by the editor.
Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Tuesday
October 16, 1979
Dick West
"Turkey feather attacks : the newest
biological warfare here if we need it
By DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — If you are looking
for something positive to hold onto in a
period of mostly negative developments,
consider feathers.
Historically, chicken and turkey outer
wear has not been deeply appreciated, ex
cept by chickens and turkeys. But in re
cent days, poultry plumage has been
sharply upgraded.
And while it might be overstating the
case to describe fowl feathers as the hope
of the future, at least we have been made
to realize that their potential for the bet
terment of mankind has not been fully
realized.
Two events in the news this month
serve to open our eyes.
One was the publication of a once-secret
document disclosing that in 1950 the U.S.
Army conducted tests on the feasibility of
converting feathers into biological warfare
weapons.
The idea was to treat the feathers with
rust spores and drop them from airplanes
over enemy oat fields, thus contaminating
the crop.
As anyone who has ever had any
dealings with the Army might have pre
dicted, the device used to release the air
borne feathers was called a “M16A1 Clus
ter Adapter.”
And the feathers themselves were iden
tified in classic military nomenclature
lingo as “washed, fluffed, white turkey.”
Although the trial runs in turkey feather
bombardment apparently worked out pre
tty well, there was no word on whether
this type of crop dusting ever became op
erational.
However, any military analyst will tell
you that turkey feather attacks sound
exactly like something that would have
been tried in Vietnam.
If feather merchants have not become a
part of the military-industrial complex, it
must be because of political consid
erations. The feeling may have been that if
the Pentagon went ahead with the forma
tion of turkey feather strike forces, the
Soviet Union would retaliate by sending a
flock of combat turkeys to Cuba.
Who knows, someday we may be read
ing headlines like: “U.S., Soviets Sign
Strategic Turkey Feather Limita
Treaty. Meanwhile, it is gratifyirj
know the potential is there if we net
Equally heartening was a report
Atlanta Journal that researchers 1
patented a process for extracting piu
from chicken feathers for possible ns|
food supplements and cosmetics.
That development could opeml
whole new world for chicken plucfcT
Up to now, the purpose of plucking!
to get rid of the feathers. If the timett
ing when we will keep the feather.J
throw the rest of the chicken away?
Is there a new Colonel Sandersosj
horizon — a Kentucky Fried Chid!
feather tycoon?
We may indeed live to see that4,|
the turkey feather bombs don’t g
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READER’S FORUM
The disco scene can he compared
to prancing of prairie male chickens
By JAMES TELESE
Male discoers are flocking to discos for
an opportunity to dance and prance. Male
prairie chickens also flock to a place for
dancing and prancing. Discos, compared
to the dance ground of the prairie chicken,
are artificial; both are used to attract the
attention of a possible mate. Similarities
exist between the prairie chicken and the
male discoer, even though they are differ
ent beings.
The prairie is the dance ground of the
male prairie chicken. His dance is per
formed among the short grass for
maximum visibility of the spectators; hid
den in the tall blue winter grass are the
females.
On early April mornings, when spring is
in its joyous flowering time, his dance
takes place. The morning sun stirs the air
and illuminates the stomping ground.
Each rooster has his own beat and song
(that sounds like “ooh-den-do-o-o-o-o)
which fills the early April morning air, and
is carried over the prairie.
In contrast, the male discoer is ready for
action as the sun sends out the stars. He
flies to the disco with unchecked speed to
catch the right time for attracting the most
females.
Arriving at the disco, he encounters a
smoked-filled room, the dance floor sur
rounded by mirrors to catch sight of his
act, illuminated with strobe lights and al
ternating red, blue, and yellow lights
flashing from the dance floor to create a
world of false beauty.
Dimly lighted corners hide the watch
ing, sullen faces of the females, making it
easier for the male discoer to dance.
Though each song seems different, the
beat is the same one-two-three-four, over
and over and over and over, bouncing off
the disco walls at a volume heard through
out the valley.
Each dancer has his own costume, and
neither is original. Male discoers dress in
their best three-piece suit fashioned after
John Travolta’s in “Saturday Night Fever. ”
The human roosters wear the three-piece
suit to accent forms, to draw attention to
themselves. The colors depend on the
moods of the roosters. They may wear
white suits if especially lonely, for white
enhances their movements by reflecting
the lights of the dance floor.
Unlike that of male discoer, the prairie
chicken’s fashion is predestined; he has no
choice of clothing. He has his natural
feathers: shades of brown, black, and
white.
But all these comments emphasize the
differences, and I promised to write about
similarities. When the dance begins, the
prairie chicken is a beautiful sight. He in
flates his saffron sacs under long pinnate
feathers on each side of his neck to an
orange color; wings trail, and his tail
shapes into a fan and stands erect, looking
like that of small peacock. The rooster
lowers his head and prances to his own
beat in one spot. At the climax of the
dance, he shakes his head slightly, flaps
his wings and flies three feet straight up in
the air.
The disco rooster does not dance alone;
society demands that a male shoidd dance
not by himself but with a female. But like
the prairie chicken, he is dancing for all
the females that care to observe his antics.
The disco rooster begins by walking tall
and strutting to the dance floor. Oncf
the floor, his lx)dy begins to gyrate!
jerk with violent spasms. Hejumpsup;
down, feet prancing to the monoto#
beat, arms flapping at his side, atfe
going over his head for style. At
climax, the disco rooster twirls; his op
coat flies loosely, looking like a second
of wings. His head pecks in the smol
colored air. A beautiful sight.
Discos allow mankind, the noblest
animals, to act like prairie chickens.!
here the similarity ends. At 5 an), i
unclear who chooses whom. Does:
female of the disco choose the males
cause of his dance? Or does the®
choose the female with the widest eye
A prairie rooster takes a chosen i
and builds a nest in the tall blueH
grass of the prairie. But lonely discon
ter who have flown to discos fori
cure for Wednesday Night Chicken^
find only their reflections in thewidet]
of the female and the mirrors of the d
floor. They do not find themselves otdj
cure they seek.
Letters
Cash-for-cups: a student’s new idea
for conserving concession dollars
Editor:
In these days of wasteful spending in
government-related contracts and busi
nesses, it is a welcome reflief to see signs
of thriftiness. Such was the case prior to
the football game at Kyle Field last Satur
day.
I saw a vendor filling the “Aggie size”
plastic cups with ice when approximately a
dozen empty cups fell into a puddle of
muddy water. Not to be discouraged, the
vendor quickly gathered up the dirty cups,
put ice and sodawater in them and sold
them.
After witnessing this incident, I had an
idea. Why not offer a cash-for-cups rebate
for dirty cups. Football patrons could sell
the cups hack to the vendor for 25
a pound. This would provide needed small
change that everyone has a shortage of.
Besides, the vendor could reduce costs
because fewer new cups would not have to
be purchased. In the long-run reduced
costs would insure lower concession
prices.
In addition to the monetary savings,
think about the added flavor to the soft
drinks resulting from the use of dirty cups.
What about disease, you say? What could
possibly be more sickening than seeing
your team lose in the final 60 seconds?
12th man missing
Editor:
The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Football Team
was outscored again this weekend. How
ever, that was not nearly as disheartening
as the sight of my fellow Ags who left early
and did not fight until the end.
It is a well established tradition at A&M
Thotz
that the Twelfth Man (of which every true
Aggie is a member), remain in stands on
such occasions for a short yell practice.
This unique display of continued support
for our team is one of the traditions that
has set A&M apart from conventional
schools. We can only imagine that the dis
graceful number of fans who did not fight
until the last yell either were uninformed,
were cougar supporters, or were members
of that disgusting band of traitors knofl
two percenters.
We hope that in the future all A||
will proudly stand together, in l
and had, and show the true “Spiritoj
gieland.”
— Scott Roberts,
SEARS — NOPE— RADIO SttKK- N0?t—
^ jy.jS
Podpopnc
Al&UH • • Nopfc
Editor’s note: This letter was acd
panied by 58 other signatures.
by Doug Graham